Focus, Focus, Focus

I recently read the article “NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, SPORT AND HEALTH DIMENSIONS OF THREE MEDITATION TECHNIQUES” written by Richard M. Buscombe.

The main thing that I found useful from this article was the description of several types of meditation. There was breath based meditation, concentrative meditation, and mindfulness meditation. I was particularly interested in the concentrative meditation, which involves developing a focus using a mental device, such as a mantra, body sensation, breath, or specific image. Specifically, I was intrigued by Transcendental Meditation, which utilizes a mantra, which is a word or saying that is repeated in a rhythmic cycle. I hypothesize that there could be a similarity between this form of meditation and addiction seeking behavior. Addicts focus on one thing, which is their addiction. Is it possible that this focus is similar to the focus on a mantra in meditation?

Additionally, there were some data collection techniques that might be useful. Infiniti Thought Technology was a biofeedback system that could be used to measure blood volume, respiration rate, different brain waves, and muscle relaxation/tension. I also liked how phenomenological data was analyzed using summaries that the participants had written. I can do something similar to get an understanding of the addicts background and the reasoning behind the craving.